latham

We found out last month that a popular bar and restaurant on a busy stretch of Route 9 in Latham was closing after twenty-three years. We now know what is going to happen to J.J. Rafferty's Bar & Grill and it's something completely different.

Pickleball seems to be the hottest sport. The first indoor pickleball facility in the Capital Region located in the former Kmart in Latham has an opening date.

A new restaurant is moving into Latham and is taking over a once-popular all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. This eatery suddenly closed in August.

There are over six hundred McDonald's restaurants across New York State but now there is one less. A Capital Region McDonald's in a high-traffic location has closed.

On July 19th, the New York Lottery Powerball jackpot was $1.08 billion. Although there was only one winner from California who got the billion, there was an Upstate New Yorker who cashed in too.

Pickleball is the sport that is sweeping the nation and now the Capital Region will get its first indoor club. It is almost ready to open in an old Kmart location.

At the beginning of 2023, the Dick's Sporting Goods Store in Latham temporarily closed along with the Field & Stream Store next door. Now a grand opening is planned for the end of the month.

The old Kmart property in Latham is growing. Vent Fitness is the anchor of the Kmart building. Upscale farm-to-table restaurant Scarlet Knife recently opened and an indoor golf simulator and lounge, The Bunker also occupies some of the space. Something new is climbing into that space.

The $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot was won by one winner in California. Although no one in New York State cashed in on the top prize, there was an Upstate New Yorker who is $1 million richer. Check your New York Lottery Powerball tickets because someone in Upstate New York is a one-million-dollar winner!

Back in September, it was announced that another national hoagie restaurant chain would be coming to Upstate New York. They said they would put ten locations in the Capital Region. We now know where the first sub shop will go.

The Starlite Music Theater opened in 1957 and was a popular venue located in Latham. There were many acts that passed through the Starlite until 1997. It was a 3,000 seat theater in the round. In the 1980s I saw Belinda Carlisle of the Go Gos at the Starlite Music Theater. Kenny Rogers, The Monkees, Weird Al Yankovic, Jonny Cash, Run DMC, Diana Ross, and more graced the stage. The Starlite closed its doors in 1998 and laid dormant for years. Then in December of 2012, the Starlite was demolished. Here are pictures of the venue in the summer of 2012 before it was leveled.

The old Kmart building on Watervliet Shaker Road in Latham is becoming an entertainment and sports destination. The Scarlet Knife, an upscale restaurant just recently opened and more construction is on the way including a new sports complex.